Does the institution own or manage land that includes or is adjacent to legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance?:

To the east we border Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. To the south we border Giant City State Park.Technically we are also located within the Shawnee National Forest

Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on institution-owned or –managed land?:

Yes

Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify environmentally sensitive areas on institution-owned or –managed land?:

Yes

The methodology(-ies) used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or environmentally sensitive areas and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:

Federal funding of projects requires compliance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; ESA). SIUC normally contracts a consulting firm to prepare a Biological Assessment (BA) on behalf of and in conjunction with DOE to evaluate the potential impacts to federally listed threatened and endangered species. DOE also reviews the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) Environmental Conservation Online System to determine that there is no known critical habitat present at the proposed project site and/or Action Area. The list of threatened, endangered, and candidate species for Jackson County is obtained from the USFWS Midwest Region 3 Section 7(a)(2) Technical Assistance Website.

A brief description of plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:

The campus has hundreds of acres of natural habitat for wildlife, natural woods, a lake, a rural setting surrounded by woods and farmland. The campus is noted for its deer, wild turkey, waterfowl and songbird populations, and is full of small fur bearing animals. We have created large native grass plantings and are currently working on a native wetland project connected to a watershed at the lake the first phase was completed this summer with two additional phases needed to complete project roughly over the next year and a half to two years.

The website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity policies and programs(s) is available:

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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution and complete the Data Inquiry Form.

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System

(STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and
universities to measure their sustainability performance.